Playing Zodiac
by Yemi Hikari
Summary: Ise Nanao decides another plan for raising money, producing a play for the New Year about the legend of the Zodiac.
1. Earning Money

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bleach. I was a little stumped on how to start this one off without it being too bland, and then I saw the special New Years episode for Bleach... episode 303. It takes place the during the second New Year During the time skip. Chapters will vary in length possibly._

**Playing Zodiac**  
**_Earning Money_**

Nanao sat in her office, frustration written all over her face. Over the year since the Winter War, the shinigami raised plenty of money so that the Gotei Thirteen contained stability. However, having experienced the shortages prior, she felt that they should come up with something to raise money. However, some ground rules needed to be set due to the film festival disaster for whatever project she would do.

Her taicho walked in, a bottle of sake in his hand and he plopped down at his desk, putting his feet up on the desk. "Something bothering you Nanao-chan?"

"I am trying to think of some project to raise money." The woman pushed on her glasses.

"The New Year is going to be in a few weeks or months. Can't really remember the day, but why not do a play featuring the zodiac. I would even be willing to write for it, or even have a role." The man smirked at her, twiddling his thumbs.

"So the woman can flock you?" Ise snapped her words out, but then paused. "It is a good idea though."

"So, are you going to let me write the script for it?" The man asked.

"And let you turn it into something that can not be show in front of children? I don't think so." The woman then walked out of the room and headed to the first division, where she told her idea to the General Taicho. He quickly approved the idea, so long as there was no destruction and the whole thing kept to a minimum budget.

She then headed over to the ninth division and walked over to Hisagi. "I need you to put an advertisement into the next issue."

"The next issue is almost complete," the young man mumbled.

"I am needing a script written and I wish to hold a contest for said script," the woman stated. "I am needing the script written within the next couple of weeks, so I can't wait for the next issue."

Hisagi gave her a rather insulted look. "I could write the script for you."

"This isn't to say that you are a bad writer lieutenant. Actually, it is a good thing that you are such a perfectionist. But just... not when there is a time crunch like this. Remember how your group was the only one that didn't provide a movie for the film festival as you never completed the script?" Nanao folded her arms across her chest. "It is going to be for the New Year this year. It is going to be about the zodiac legend and should include the cat."

"I got it, I got it. It will go into this issue." While his voice said he understood, it also said he still wasn't happy about the situation.

_Author's note –  
**Contests – **I have a New Years contest, Valentines Contest and a Bleach Contest. All the contests except the Bleach one are open to all fandoms. There are a few other rules for each one. Hoping some people will participate.  
**Topic of the Week – **I am starting a topic of the week thread for various fandoms, one of which is Bleach too._


	2. Disagreeing Dragon

**Playing Zodiac**  
_**Disagreeing Dragon**_

Hitsugaya Toshiro sat at his desk, working on his paper work when Ise Nanao came into the tenth division office. "If you are looking for Matsumoto, she isn't here. She is in fact..." There was a sudden pause. "I think she's out drinking sake, or doing some other behavior that I do not in any way condone."

"Actually, I came to see you Hitsugaya Taicho." The female moved over to his desk. "I am working on a play for the New Year, to be played on the thirty first of this year."

"And what does that have to do with me?" The boy set his brush down and folded his arms. "Wait... you still aren't mad at me for last New Year?"

"Last New Year?" Nanao paused for a second, and then her eyes narrowed. "You mean when you decided to make negative comments against women?"

"I never _made _negative comments against women." The small taicho's eyes suddenly glazed over.

"I remember you saying that women always change their minds." The woman slammed her hands down.

"Oi... stop treating me like a child." The small taicho's tone darkened. "Someone asked why women always change the subject and I simply said I didn't know."

"See, that is what I mean. Do you understand what that says?" Nanao pushed the argument.

"I wasn't the person who worded the question. Actually, I have no clue why they asked me of all people that." The small boy glowered at the woman.

"What do you mean you don't know why they asked you that question?" Ise pushed up on her questions.

"I know that sometimes people change subjects because they are avoiding something, but I don't get why woman change the subject." The boy quickly responded.

"You're changing the topic. I asked why you didn't know the answer."

"I am avoiding the answer because I don't want to say why. If _they _find out I'll never live it down." The boy began to glance through the papers.

"So, you are insensitive in what you say to a woman." Nanao folded her arms across her chest.

"Oi... you just changed the subject! That isn't fair!" The small boy stopped fidgeting with the papers.

"Hitsugaya Taicho... you happen to have a problem understanding this whole thing." Nanao pulled up a chair. She folded her arms across her chest. "I am not moving until you tell me the answer."

"Fine... though you practically said it yourself. I don't understand all of this guy versus girl thing." The white haired taicho gave an honest response.

"Guys are always trying to prove they're better then the females and we thus have to fight back." Nanao watched as the boy looked at her in confusion at what she said. "Another way to explain it is guys like to push girls into feminine roles, like being a house wife, taking care of the books from the library, being a mother."

"A good deal of you would make great mothers though." The boy stated firmly, confusion still written all over his face.

"Excuse me?" Ise felt her cheek twitch at the conversation she happened to be having with the small taicho.

"Like Unohana Taicho, why isn't she a mother or grandmother? She deserves to have her own kids doesn't she?" The small boy's face lightened up.

"Hitsugaya Taicho... you missed my point." Nanao let out a deep sigh.

"Then what was your point?" Toshiro's face twisted up into a frown. "You'd make a good mother too you know. I think the only one who wouldn't would be Kurotsuchi Fukutaicho. I wouldn't want to know what she would do with her kids, or what _he _would do. Maybe Soifon... I think she would squeeze them to death or name them all after a certain someone."

"My point..." Nanao took up a stern approach. "My point is that men insist on saying women can only do those things and that they aren't as good fighters as them, things like that."

"They're just jealous because women can do those things and also be wonderful mothers." The small taicho kept up his rant.

"Hitsugaya Taicho... you're still missing the point and I don't know how else to explain it to you." Nanao let out a deep sigh.

"Then it is agreed that I don't know what is going on and they shouldn't have asked me, of all people, that question." Hitsugaya pushed the conversation back around.

"I guess so. You weren't very nice about Kotetsu Fukutaicho's height anxieties." Nanao pushed this side of the issue. "That was not something nice to say about a woman."

"She _isn't _the only one with height issues. She was looking _right _at me when she said that. _Why _does she wish to be _my _height anyways? I never ask her about her height issues when I see her, but she some how manages to bring it up." Toshiro glanced at the ground. "I am sorry though if I came across wrong. It is a bit late though to apologize."

"No... I understand now where you were coming from." There was one more point to use. "The New Years Cards, you seemed displeased. You made a few comments about that.

"Well, Kurootsuchi Fukutaicho... that was just disgusting. Kusajishi didn't know that there was no year of the cat. What more do you want?"

"You avoided Matsumoto's care and the comment on the seventh division's. Not to mention the ones Kusajishi made for her division."

"I found hers amusing, though I can see why Madarame and Ayasegawa did not enjoy the cards. A joke is only good if everyone can laugh at it."

"That's true. The other two?"

"I am just tiered of her always doing stuff like that." Toshiro's head glanced down, frustration written all over his face.

"That's kind of mean. It is her choice to do that kind of picture." Ise let out a sigh.

"I know that it is impossibly to convince her to stop, but as her friend aren't you also tiered of the way she degrades herself and sells her self short. It wasn't just the picture on the card. She knew that her comment about the seventh division was stupid and she knew why." Hitsugaya tapped his fingers against the desk.

"Well, she is who she is. You can't change if she is a ditz can you?" Nanao gave a big smile.

"Do you really know her then? Matsumoto is no ditz. She is rather intelligent. She's... she's the one who convinced me... she convinced me to go to the academy. I needed to go, whether I liked it or not. She's always looked out for me since we met. Her advice, when she isn't putting on that fake mask is always sound."

"I've seen that side of her a few times." Ise's face faltered. "I hadn't realized you had seen it."

"Whatever kids she eventually has will be really lucky. If she can find someone after this whole mess with Ichimaru." The boy fidgeted again with his papers.

"If that happens, won't you be jealous?" Nanao asked rather quickly.

"What do you mean?" Toshiro's teal eyes suddenly jolted up.

"The reason you kept bringing up the fact that you feel certain females would be great mothers is because of your own feelings." Ise watched as his face twisted with frustration. "You don't have to admit it if you don't want to. Why were you looking for Matsumoto that day anyways?"

"I was hoping for one year where I wasn't stuck doing paperwork on my own for once." Hitsugaya let out a deep sigh. "That year and this one I expect to be the same. Me doing my paperwork by myself and then having to do hers."

"I have a proposal for you." Nanao spoke up rather quickly.

"And that would be?" The small taicho glanced up.

"I told you about the play I am working on. If you are willing to play the part of the dragon of the zodiac, I'll do whatever paperwork Matsumoto doesn't get done until after the third day of the new year."

"I..." Toshiro paused. "It would be impolite to say know I guess. But why me?"

"You represent the concept of dragon, what with your zampaktuo," the woman stated.

"What about Yamamoto Taicho?" Toshiro suddenly asked.

"He might fall asleep." Nanao stated. "While he is tough, he still is getting on in years."

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" The small taicho asked.

"Not that I can think of... why?" Isane blinked a couple of times.

"Well, your offer seems like I'm getting the better end of the deal." Hitsugaya stated firmly.

"Aren't you normally against even participating in thing like this?" Ise shook her head, a smile coming to her face.

"Yes, well... if anyone asks, I'll say you simply made a fair enough deal. Are you sure that you don't want any other help?" The white haired boy pushed the issue.

"How about while I go around asking the actors and finding them, you read through the scripts that will be coming in and approve or disprove them based on quality." The female stated. "I will leave you to your work and I'll be back later this afternoon to pick up were Rangiku's slacked off."

The small taicho shrugged his shoulders as she left. "How hard could any of this be?"


	3. Trouncing Tiger

**Playing Zodiac**  
_**Trouncing Tiger**_

The fukutaicho of the eighth division left the small taicho to his own thoughts, chuckling to herself at his own words. The child had a way of proving himself to be... not so much a child, but one of a young, very impressionable age who, while he knew quite a lot, lacked knowledge in certain areas. As she left, she bumped into the fukutaicho of the tenth.

"Nanao? What are you doing here?" The female shinigami blinked a couple of times.

"I came to talk to your small taicho about something," the female stated, pushing up her glasses.

"Oh?" Rangiku's mind perked up.

"I am planning on putting on a play to raise money for the Soul Society so that we have a back up. The play is going to be on the thirty-first, before the New Year. I wanted Hitsugaya Taicho to participate." Nanao stated.

"Taicho would make a cute chappy. Or how about a cute little sheep. He's got the white hair for it. Or maybe a cute puppy dog." Matsumoto's finger traveled to her mouth and she looked to be deep in thought.

"I think it should be obvious..." Ise took on a frustrated look on her face.

"Oh... you mean the dragon!" Rangiku smiled, then frowned. "Isn't he a bit... small to play the part of the dragon?"

"What do you mean?" The eighth division captain simply stared at the woman.

"I mean that the dragon is bigger then all of the other animals, right?" Matsumoto crossed her arms.

"Don't tell that to your taicho. He's sensitive enough about his height. It's already a done deal." Nanao felt her mouth twist up, the thought having not crossed her mind.

"I'd like to play a part." Rangiku suddenly smiled.

"Oh... let me guess... the rabbit?" Ise let out a sigh. "This is supposed to be PG."

"Rabbit? No, I was thinking of the tiger! They are very ferocious, and yet so elegant." Rangiku stated. She then brought something else up. "How did you convince taicho?"

"I said that I would do whatever paperwork _you _don't do." Nanao stated. She was about to say, "_Don't put a strain on our friendship with this._" when she found Rangiku speaking up herself.

"All right... what else do you have taicho doing?" The female crossed her arms.

"What do you mean?" Ise blinked a couple of times.

"That is a rather big offer, isn't it?" Rangiku shook her head.

"I wasn't going to have him do anything, but he insisted on helping, so I told him he could read through the scripts. That isn't a bad thing to do really, considering that out of all the people I am likely to pick to play the parts, he is the one who is most likely be uncomfortable with this. I felt that my deal wasn't that big."

"Well, I'll help out where I can to. I better get to my work as it looks like both of you will be busy." Rangiku headed into the office then.

"How long is that going to last?"


	4. First Script

**Playing Zodiac**  
_**First Script**_

The small taicho sat at his desk, still working on the paperwork, not thinking anything of what he happened to agree to. Rangiku walked in and leaned over his desk. "Good afternoon Matsumoto. I don't want to know what you've been up to."

"I am about to get to work on my paperwork," Rangiku stated, dancing away from her taicho and over to her desk.

"That's good. Go and do your paperwork." However, this caused the small boy to pause. "Wait... did you say you were going to do your paperwork?"

"Yes." Matsumoto laughed.

"That won't last long." Toshiro restacked his own papers, having finnished then leaned back.

"Oh come on Taicho. That is just mean." Rangiku's voice bubbled over with excitement. "You'll make a cute dragon."


	5. Must Be Monkey

**Playing Zodiac**  
_**Must Be Monkey**_

Nanao in truth hadn't planned on getting all of her casting done in one day. However, her mind contained a good idea of who she wanted for each part, or roughly so. She walked along, thinking about the exact casting when she suddenly bumped into someone, causing her papers to go flying. She hurried to grab all of the papers, only to have someone hand her the papers.

At that, she saw Abarai Renji standing in front of her. "You should be more careful." He let out a chuckle.

At that, Ise slammed her fist into a palm of her hand. "I got it. I couldn't figure out whether you should play the snake or the monkey and your chuckle right there says that you should play the monkey."

"Hold it." Renji raised an eyebrow. "What to you mean by what you just said?"

"I am putting on a New Years play and it deals with the zodiac story." The female grinned at the male, the look of determination majorly saying that she would not be said no to. "You're the monkey."

"Aren't you supposed to ask people about things like this and get a yes or no answer?" The male folded his arms. "And why did you pick those two to choose from, huh?"

"Because your zampaktuo is a baboon with a snakes tail." Nanao stated.

"Oh... you're going by zampaktuo?" Renji gleaned a major smirk on his face.

"Well, not on everyone." Ise admitted. "But there are a few."

"I see... so then you're going to try to convince Hitsugaya Taicho to be the dragon?" Abarai was suddenly laughing, holding his sides.

"Actually, he was the first person I talked to and I convinced him to participate. So yes, he will be the dragon." Nanao stated. She watched as Abarai suddenly opened his eyes, shock emanating from his features.

"Wait... you succeeded in convincing that stuffy little kid to do something childish?" Renji folded his arms. "How did you do it?"

"I said that until after the new year, I would be doing whatever paperwork Matsumoto Fukutaicho didn't do and was supposed to. It was as simple as that. He thought that was a rather major offer for something he felt was a minor request and is also looking through the scripts for me." Ise pushed up her glasses. "He's actually easy to get along with."

"Yeah... sure. I heard about what happened between you two last New Year. You know the only reason he played that game with you was because he never has been able to say no to Yachiru-chan, right?" Abarai scratched his head.

"Well, don't you know what her nickname for him is?" Nanao blinked a couple of times. "Nearly everyone in the Woman's Society knows why he puts up with her antics."

"Isn't it Snowball-chan, or Fluffly?" Renji garnered a guess.

"No... actually, she likes to call him aniki." Ise stated. "I think it is rather cute that she thinks of him as her older brother."

"A woman would. Do you realize she is also referring to him as a crime boss for some gang?" Abarai stated.

At that, Nanao glared at him, pushing up her glasses, becoming quite stern about the whole matter. "Seriously, what is it with males taking something and twisting it to have a different reason."

Renji suddenly backed away a bit. "Well... yes... but... who are you going to get to play the snake?"

"Well, I was thinking that I would get..." At that, Isane suddenly paled.

"What is it?" Abarai stated.

"The first person who came to mind... the first person who came to mind was..." Nanao stated.

"Who... your taicho?" Renji stated firmly.

"He's not participating. He would turn this into something the younger shinigami couldn't participate in rather quickly." The female folded her arms. "No... the person is someone that is associated with symbols of trickery. He has been referred to as snake like, but also a fox."

"Ehh... you mean Ichimaru Gin?"" Abarai let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, I guess under normal circumstances he would be the first person who would come to mind. Me... I've forgotten that he exists."

"No you haven't. Forgetting that he exists is not the right word for what you are doing." Nanao grumbled.

"Perhaps not. I choose not to think of him." Renji began to move away.

"That is a bit hard when your best friend happens to have been very close to the man. I have yet to see what Matsumoto found to be so special about the man." Ise waved over her shoulder goodbye.


End file.
